Wood as a Building Material
It's no secret that wood has been the most common building material for a long time. Almost everything was made of wood - from buildings to furniture and small details of decoration. Wood looks great, lends itself well to processing, products made from it look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. But when used in difficult natural conditions, wood products are exposed to moisture and pests, and measures to protect against these factors are complex and expensive. In addition, we should not forget that although renewable wood resources are limited in nature, it is necessary to use wood carefully when thinking about the future.
The Use of PVC in Construction
With the invention of plastics, they immediately began to be in demand as a building and structural material. Products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can have a variety of shapes, they can be used as a good finishing material in construction. Plastic products are not afraid of moisture, are not damaged by pests and fungi, but they also have their weaknesses - they do not tolerate temperature changes, are more prone to burning than wood, are more difficult to process, etc.
The Advent of Wood Plastic Composite
The appearance of wood plastic composite materials with a thermoplastic binder (Wood Plastic Composite - WPC) made it possible to combine the advantages of plastic and wood, practically getting rid of their disadvantages. The technology of wood plastic composite materials is quite new, although research in this area has been going on for several decades. Through lengthy research and experimentation, the composition of special additives was determined - additives that allow wood filler and plastic binder to form a monolithic material.
Products from Wood Plastic Composite
Profile products of absolutely any shape and size are made from wood plastic composite materials. If casting technology is used, then products of various, even the most complex shapes are obtained at the output. When using the extrusion method, profile moldings of almost any length are obtained, limited only by common sense and application features. One of the main directions in the production of wood composite products is wood-composite board, also known as decking. The composition of the wood plastic composite can include up to 80% wood, the amount of wood in the composition of the WPC determines the properties of the future product.
Processing of Wood Plastic Composite
Products from wood plastic composites are easily processed with the same tool as wood; installation of products from WPC is carried out using standard fasteners for wood. Products made of wood-polymer materials are not afraid of moisture, fungi and pests without special treatment, they are well suited for creating various outdoor structures.